


A Clash of Crimson & Gold

by inkbled



Series: daydreams of a past unknown [1]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Blood and Injury, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Ghost Lucio being a little shit and tempting Apprentice, Other, Panic Attacks, Past Relationship(s), Secret Relationship, Very Vague Relationship(s) - if you squint, Violence, might be a bit confusing but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:00:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27274573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkbled/pseuds/inkbled
Summary: Dionysus is desperate to find out what happened so many years ago, but the ever bittersweet memories of what was is seeming to exhaust their poor mind. It doesn't help that the ghost of what was Count Lucio is beginning to tempt them into more than just gazing upon his many paintings.TW // descriptions of violence, blood, and vague apprentice/lucio and apprentice/julian
Relationships: Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Apprentice/Lucio (The Arcana)
Series: daydreams of a past unknown [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1991440
Kudos: 3





	A Clash of Crimson & Gold

As the sun filters through the large, wide window of library and brings in light to the once dark and dreary room, and as birds begin their morning ritual of chirping their good mornings, there’s not really anything the Apprentice can do besides begrudgingly open their eyes and slowly sit up from their makeshift bed on the floor. Rosy pink eyes blink once, twice, trying to clear away both the drowsiness and confusion that plague their mind right at this moment. How did they…? _Oh._

Cheeks sting in clear embarrassment as they remember what happened last night; they had snuck into the library after being given the key, just so they could skim through the Doctor’s notes and search through his desk for possible proof of his innocence. Dionysus chews on their bottom lip, wondering if they should wait until after breakfast to continue their search or if they should ignore the rumble of their stomach in hopes of finding a solution quicker… it’ be better if they could find proof as quickly as possible, but with another long, loud growl, the sorcerer decides that maybe food would help with their investigation. They get up from off of the floor and pad towards the door, only to pause once they see a shadow of a figure disappear from between the shelves.

There’s no way… who else was here…? Dionysus frowns, moving towards where the figure had disappeared to, only to smile brightly when they recognize the head of a snake poking out from in-between the shelves; it’s Faust! A laugh of relief comes from them as they hold out their hand, waiting for the familiar to make her way around their wrist and arm to nestle comfortably on their shoulder. Faust moves her nose to poke gently at Dion’s cheek, hearing her in their mind as they speak, **_Friend!_**

Nodding in encouragement, Dionysus makes their way out of the library and down the hall, hopeful that they don’t end up lost like the first couple of times while staying in Nadia’s domain. “Faust, you scared me. When you disappeared the other day, I surely thought you went back to Mast— I mean, Asra…” They flush lightly, ears turning a soft pink as they remember that he had asked them not to call him that anymore. Faust flicks her tongue out as to comfort them and that’s all it takes for Dion to relax a small bit as they make their way to the kitchens. Portia had told them that if they were hungry, they could stop by.

Despite having arrived just a few days ago, they were beginning to miss their daily routine of going into the market everyday to grab fresh pumpkin bread from their favorite baker. But it’d be too far to just stop by for some bread… even if Dionysus was craving it at this very moment. The spices, the sweetness as butter melted on top of a slice… they shook their head and laughed, looking back at Faust as they spoke, “Is it too early to already say that I miss the shop?”

**_Home! We go?_** It’s still taking time for the Apprentice to get used to the ringing of Faust’s voice, but they’re also enjoying being able to talk to someone during the late hours of the night and when they’re alone with her. Dionysus shakes their head, gently rubbing the bottom of her chin before finally finding the door to the kitchens. “No, sadly, we need to prove Doctor Devorak’s innocence first, Faust. But first, let's see if we can get some snacks for the library, hm?” 

It only takes half an hour to convince the chef that they need something to eat in order to show progress for the investigation, but only after being scolded for letting the Countess eat alone — though Dionysus does promise with all their heart to dine with Nadia that night to make up for the lost time. Besides, they don’t know how much more they can handle when it comes to the woman’s need to gift them with such fine jewelry and clothing. As they make their way back to the library, they pop a blueberry into their mouth and chew thoughtfully, trying to ignore the look in Faust’s eyes as they swallow the fruit down. She’s trying to guilt them into giving her a piece, despite them both knowing that she would never be able to digest the fruit properly… doesn’t stop them from at least feeling a pang of guilt for eating in front of her, though.

As soon as Dionysus gets to the library, they unlock the doors and walk in, placing the small tray of treats on a nearby table before moving towards a bookshelf. They lightly touch the spine of a rather old book, inspecting the title before grabbing it from its spot and moving to the desk in the corner to grab the Doctor’s journal and notes. Once back at the table, they deposit the findings onto the wooden surface and sit down, ignoring the alluring call to their makeshift bedding next to the fireplace. It won’t take long for Portia to come looking for them once she discovers that the Apprentice is no longer in their guest bedroom, so they might have about an hour or so left before they’re disturbed. However, a familiar scent guides them to their platter of snacks, pink hues stopping on some banana pudding in the corner of said plate. Faust, from her resting place, gazes up at them with curious eyes, her head tilting from one side to the next before moving down to coil around their hand. Her voice rings out before Dionysus can say anything, _**Help?**_

They take a small spoonful of the pudding and slip it into their mouth, enjoying the taste before a sudden feeling wraps itself around them, like a warm blanket on a cold night. Faust tightens her hold on Dion’s wrist, coaxing them to relax as the feeling takes over.

* * *

_  
Dion is perched up on a table, eyeing the redhead from across the library with curiosity while he’s hunched over his desk in aggravation. He seems to be getting more and more worried about… something, and they wish they could help him relax, even for a moment. Finally, after his constant mumbling, they decide to take action, hopping off from the table and sliding over to his side in an instant, a glint of mischief in their eyes as they tug on his coat. “Doctor Devorak, maybe you should take a break? Mumbling under your breath while in a dreary, old library is bound to stir someone into madness… don’t you think?” The man turns, cheeks red at the closeness before putting some distance between himself and the young magician._

_He mumbles something, an agreement perhaps? Their eyes light up with joy and they drag him over to the table, an assortment of treats that they had grabbed when they needed their own break from the dim room. The man seems to notice the banana pudding tucked away from the rest and goes to inspect it, but they are far quicker than him and snatch it before he can even grab it. “I said you could take a break, not steal my snacks, Iiya!” They laugh, a soft noise that echoes throughout before shoving the spoon into their mouth, almost smiling at the way he looks. He smiles, even if they haven’t, and somehow everything is good in the world, even for a small moment. Suddenly, a figure barges in, gold and crimson and a mad face. Dionysus hops away in fright, eyes widening before—  
  
_

* * *

A gasp rips from them, jerking away from the table in surprise before realizing where they are. The spoon is now on the platter, covered in pudding and spit, and Faust, who somehow didn’t get hurt in the process of Dionysus jumping away from the table, eyes them curiously. The man in that memory, that was Doctor Devorak… Iiya? But they were certain his name was Julian, so why… why the name? Shaking their head to rid of the fog inside their mind, they decide to sit back down and relax in the chair, reaching for a good and flipping through the withered pages. The lavender corn snake makes her way onto the Apprentice’s lap and looks up at them, once again tilting her head before speaking, **_Hurt? Need help?_**

The concerned tone reminds them of Asra, when they both first discovered that Dionysus would have various headaches or dizzy spells when trying to remember anything that happened before they woke up; maybe that instinct transferred to Faust as well, because that worried look in her eyes made their chest tighten up. “No, no, not hurt, Faust, just confused. No need to worry about me, alright?” A thumb rests under her chin, scritching gently to soothe her thoughts and hopefully their own. However, it seems that the dizziness only increases, a haze surrounding them as they pop another blueberry into their mouth and slowly chew to enjoy the flavor and juices that flow from it.

Dionysus blinks slowly, cheeks flushing slightly into a soft pink before they hear a voice bouncing inside of their head, nothing like the sweet tone of Faust’s.

_Don’t you want to know?_

_Don’t you want to see?_

_I know how you tick, you’re too curious… come on._

There’s a sudden tug from their side, but no looming figure or goat ghost like they would assume. The scars on their face begin to feel funny, like a feather lightly tickling where the scars were. The magician blinks slowly and finally gives in to the alluring feeling, letting it guide them over to the opposite corner of where they were before… they can feel the slight coil of Faust gripping onto their wrist, a sound of panic in her voice as it fades in and out of their head. 

_Yesss, follow me. Let me show you._

They frown, recognizing the voice but yet not being able to fully focus on why it sounded so familiar. Instead, they stop in front of a wall, where a large painting had once been; their fingers run across the stone, a tremor of something familiar as they slowly fall to their knees and gently touch their scar ridden eye.

* * *

_  
He’s in one of his moods, Dionysus can tell by the sneer on his lips and the flash of hot anger in his eyes… something must have happened, that’s why he’s here, in the library, where Doctor Devorak was. They knew that they would get into arguments, Julian would always recount his frustrations when it came to his interactions with Count Lucio— there was always a pang of guilt whenever it was talked about because they felt as if it was their fault for introducing the Doctor to the Count. Now they’re arguing here, in the library, because of what? Why? What could they possibly be arguing about now?_

_It all comes down to when they see that golden hand move up to strike their friend, the man who’s been keeping them preoccupied ever since Asra left, the Doctor who let them become his apprentice to practice medicine. They don’t think, they rush in and stand in front of Julian and scream out for the Count to stop, only to feel the seering, blinding pain and a sudden wetness across their face. Dionysus screams out, covering their eye as they stagger back into Julian’s chest, all while hearing the Count’s voice change from anger to concern. They feel the cold sting of metal but shove it away, maybe a bit harsher than intended, before trying to focus on not crying._

_When they open their eyes and pull away, there’s blood on their hand and the feeling of a red hot poker being pressed into their eye. The Doctor is rushing them out of the library and away from the Count, even as he begins to yell at them both to come back. Julian’s panicked voice is but a whisper to them as they urge themself to not cry in front of him, to not show that they are hurt by what just happened. His voice becomes something that they try to focus on as he rushes them back to his clinic in the city.  
  
_

* * *

Again, like last time, Dionysus gasps and jerks backward, landing on their rear in a grunt of pain before scooting away from the wall. It’s not the wall, however, that triggered such a memory, as when they look a little ways from it is a stain of blood from many years ago, old and barely visible from being scrubbed at but never fully leaving. Moving just a small bit, they wince at the small tell-tale pain surrounding their eye before quickly moving to try and remove the ache. Faust is nowhere to be seen and even if Dion were to seek out her presence, they wouldn’t be able to focus for long with the growing pain that thudded against their skull.

The doors open in an instant and Portia comes into view in an instant, with Nadia following close by, both of their eyes wide with worry and concern. Portia is the first to speak, gently grabbing Dionysus by their hands and helping them up, “Are you okay?! Your little friend came to me in such a hurry after I couldn’t find you… I was worried something had happened!” Her voice is full of concern, hands moving to feel their forehead while the Countess stands a little ways from them and it looks like Faust is wrapped around her hand while staring at me.

**_Friend hurt! Worried!_ **

There’s that pang of guilt once more, a heavy ache in their heart as they let Portia lead everyone out of the library and down the hall to Nadia’s personal veranda, where it seems she was having breakfast. The redhead leads them to a cushioned chair full of pillows and is instantly offered tea, which they decline with a shake of their head, “No, no. I— I have some herbs in my satchel, the one that’s been with me, it has some ingredients that will help with the headaches!” They try to grab for their bag, but Nadia gently holds their wrist and smiles reassuringly before Portia offers them the tea once more; this time, the strong scent of peppermint and lavender fill their senses, making them look back at the cup. “This… you knew?”

“I didn’t know, but your friend made sure to let us know in her… own way.” Nadia smiles at the corn snake before letting her slip into Dion’s lap, instantly moving up to flick her tongue in their face and nuzzle her way through their clothes… it was comforting and eased Dionysus as they took the cup from Portia with a nod of thanks. They took one sip and noticed the sweet taste of honeysuckle as well, making them smile to themself before looking from Portia to Nadia, then out to the gardens. A million questions buzzed inside their head and if that didn’t make things worse, the deep haze that surrounded them since this morning had not left quite yet. They’d have to get a hold of Julian or Asra as soon as they could… and if not, they’d have to go to another source, one that they didn’t want to go unless it was a last resort.

The thought of going to see him made their stomach lurch, making them once again uneasy, but the two women occupying them at this very moment made it their duty to reassure them of everything. As the sun began to lift further into the sky and the birds continued their morning songs, Dionysus decided to push away all concerns about their past so they could give Nadia and Portia the time to speak with them. The Apprentice just hoped that whatever else was waiting for them would wait until after lunch.


End file.
